About the Chamber of Architecture and Spatial Planning of Slovenia

Architects, spatial planning professionals, and landscape architects have established the Chamber of Architecture and Spatial Planning of Slovenia (ZAPS). ZAPS was established together with the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers (IZS) to ensure the professionalism and protection of public interest in spatial management and construction, as well as protection of third parties.

ZAPS primarily performs the following duties:

- defines the professional principles in spatial planning, architecture, and landscape architecture

- cooperation with government and local government authorities and represents the profession

- manages updating of skills and provides advice to individuals and companies engaging in business of architecture and landscape architecture design, spatial planning, and auditing of design documents

- provides professional examinations for responsible design of plans for architecture, landscape architecture, auditing of such plans, and responsible spatial planning

- awards licences for independent work in architecture and landscape architecture design and auditing, as well as spatial planning

- adopts the ZAPS Code of Professional Conduct

- for an investor, prepares and organises open competitions in spatial management and architectural and landscape-architectural solutions

A conditions for becoming a ZAPS member are professional qualifications (appropriate diploma, internship, professional examination). Membership is a condition to prepare design documents.

Chamber organisation

Until 1997, architects,spatial planning professional, and landscape architects were organised as a professionally independent Parent Section of Architects, Spatial Planning Professionals, and Landscape Architects (MSA) as part of the Slovenian Chamber of Engineers (IZS). Due to the specificity of architectural profession and pursuant to the provisions of the Construction Act, MSA split off from IZS on 11 February 2003 at the founding assembly of ZAPS at Cankar Hall in Ljubljana, and was formally established in the beginning of 2004.

Today, ZAPS – as an independent non-government organisation – is the closest to the general European practice of an umbrella professional association of experts, whose professions are recognises as regulated professions in the public interest in the EU, in accordance with the Directive of the European Parliament and Council (2005/36/EC) on the recognition of professional qualifications. There are seven such professions: doctors of medicine, nurses, dental practitioners, veterinary surgeons, midwives, pharmacists, and architects.

ZAPS has over 1,400 members. Chamber membership is granted on the basis of professional qualifications (appropriate diploma, internship, and professional examination), and is a condition for preparing design documents. The basic purpose of ZAPS is to ensure quality professional work, to organise conditions on the market, which are a precondition for the quality of work, and to provide training and to exercise powers conferred by public law.

ZAPS is a member of the Architects' Council of Europe (ACE), an organisation with headquarters in Brussels, whose membership includes official professional organisations of architects from at least twenty-five EU member states and most candidate countries, as well as Switzerland and Norway, with approximately 450,000 European architects.